1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a display device capable of detecting an external proximity object and an electronic apparatus, and in particular to a display device with a touch detecting function capable of detecting an external proximity object based on a change in capacitance and an electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Touch detection devices capable of detecting an external proximity object, which are what is called a touch panel, have been attracting attention in recent years. Touch panels are attached or integrated on display devices, such as liquid-crystal display devices, and are used for display devices with a touch detecting function. In display devices with a touch detecting function, displaying various types of button images and the like on a display device enables input of information using the touch panel as a substitute for general mechanical buttons. Such display devices with a touch detecting function including a touch panel require no input device, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a keypad. As a result, display devices with a touch detecting function have been increasingly used for portable information terminals, such as mobile phones, besides for computers.
Some types of technologies for touch detection devices are known, including optical, resistive, and capacitive type, for example. By applying a capacitive touch detection device to a portable information terminal, it is possible to provide an apparatus with a relatively simple structure and less power consumption. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2010-197576 (JP-A-2010-197576), for example, discloses a touch panel that makes a transparent electrode pattern invisible.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2011-059771 (JP-A-2011-059771) discloses a mesh-shaped conductive pattern including a mesh pattern that is at least partially separated and excellent in invisibility even at a discontinuous section, a base material with a conductor layer pattern including the mesh-shaped conductive pattern, and a touch panel member.
To provide a display device with a touch detecting function having a smaller thickness, a larger screen, or higher definition, it is necessary to lower the resistance of a touch detection electrode. The touch detection electrode is made of a translucent conductive oxide, such as an indium tin oxide (ITO), serving as a material of a translucent electrode. To lower the resistance of the touch detection electrode, it is effective to use a conductive material, such as a metal material. The conductive material, such as a metal material, transmits less light than a transparent conductive oxide, such as ITO does. This may result in reduced transmittance or visual recognition of the pattern of the touch detection electrode. To address this, a dummy electrode pattern having the same light-shielding property as that of the touch detection electrode is arranged between touch detection electrode patterns. This can reduce the possibility that the touch detection electrode pattern is visually recognized. The dummy electrode pattern not contributing to touch detection needs to be finely divided by slits because it generates capacity difference between the dummy electrode and the touch detection electrode.
In the case where both a touch detection electrode having no slit and a dummy electrode having slits are arranged, it is necessary to make the slits hard to visually recognize. This is because visual recognition of the slits leads to visual recognition of the dummy electrode. To address this, there has been developed a technology for increasing the inconspicuousness of the slits by devising the shape of the slits as disclosed in JP-A-2011-059771. The technology disclosed in JP-A-2011-059771, however, may possibly cause the slits to be visually recognized depending on the positional relation between color areas and the slits in the display device.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a display device with a touch detecting function and an electronic apparatus that can reduce the possibility that a slit of the dummy electrode made of a conductive material, which hardly transmits light, is visually recognized.